Ghost of a Chance?
by Casey Storm
Summary: A cabin in the woods seems like the perfect place to stay during a team training exercise. What could possibly go wrong? Well, for starters, the cabin is haunted. (For Stardust16's story challenge.)


**A/N: Hey, everybody! This is my entry for Stardust16's story challenge. If you aren't already participating, you can find the info on her profile.**

 **For those of you who are following my other story "Night Chase", don't worry. I am still working very hard on that and it will be updated within a few days. But I had this laying around on my computer and thought it'd work pretty well for Stardust's contest. I apologize for any mistakes in this story, I didn't get to edit it as much as I would like to because I'm trying to not take any breaks from "Night Chase" until it is finished.**

 **PLEASE NOTE: This is a parody story. I based it off of an episode of "** _ **The Dick Van Dyke Show"**_ **, which is a really old sitcom from before even my parents were born! It also happens to be one of my favorite TV shows** _ **ever**_ **. Strangely enough, I didn't have to change it that much to make it fit the Lab Rats because the characters lined up almost perfectly. Weird, huh? Anyway, this is made purely for the fun of it and shouldn't be taken too seriously. Okay, well I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** _ **Lab Rats**_ **characters or** _ **The Dick Van Dyke Show**_ **. Believe me, I wish I did. ;)**

* * *

With a tired sighed, Leo pushed open the door of the fishing lodge and dropped his suitcases on the floor. His siblings were right behind him, all looking equally tired. It probably hadn't been the best idea to let Adam drive them up here, but he was the only one of them with a license. At least they'd all made it here in one piece. For Adam, that was definitely a win.

"I don't get it," Adam complained. "Why do we have to carry our own luggage?"

"I've explained this a dozen times," Bree said, the frustration and tiredness showing in her voice. "This isn't a hotel; it's a fishing lodge." Dropping her suitcase and collapsing onto the nearest couch, she added, "I don't see why Davenport couldn't spring for a _real_ hotel, though. Or at least someplace that doesn't smell like pinesol."

"Because it wouldn't be a training exercise without at least a little challenge," Chase told her. "Come on, this could be a lot of fun. We get three days of survival training in the wilderness. Who wouldn't be excited about that?"

Four hands were immediately raised high in the air - Adam raised both his hands - in answer to his question.

"We shouldn't even have to go on this training exercise right now," Bree said. "I mean, it's a holiday. Can't we just take this _one_ holiday off? I was looking forward to taking the students to the mainland for their first trick-or-treating experience."

"Don't worry," Adam told her. "I told Bob and Spin to take care of things while we're gone. I even gave them a complete list of instructions on how to have the perfect trick-or-treat night. I just hope they can find twenty pounds of pudding in the cafeteria."

"Why does the idea of Bob and Spin being in charge of things fill me with a terrible dread?" Leo said sarcastically.

Further discussion was prevented by the appearance of Donald and Douglas in the lobby. They hurried over as soon as they saw the teenagers.

"Oh, hey, guys," Donald said. "You get checked in yet?"

"Not yet, Mr. Davenport," Chase said. "We just got here, actually. There were a few delays on the way here." He shot Adam a pointed look and his older brother responded by sticking out his tongue.

"Well, why don't you guys go into the eating area and get some dinner while I get your room keys."

Bree sighed in relief. "That sounds really good." Jumping off the couch, she called to her brothers, "Race you to the food line!"

"No fair!" Leo and Adam both shouted as she super-speeded away. They immediately took off after her. Chase stayed behind with the Davenport brothers.

"Aren't you going, too?" Douglas asked.

"Actually, what I really want right now is just to lie down," he told them. "I figured I'd stay here and get the keys and then head straight up to our room."

"Okay, I'll be back in a moment," Donald said, heading for the main desk. To the desk clerk, he said, "I'm here about those two rooms for Davenport."

"You already checked in an hour ago," the desk clerk reminded him.

"Yes, I meant the other two rooms. The rest of the group was a bit delayed in arriving."

"I'm sorry, but there are only two rooms reserved for Davenport, and I already gave you the keys to those rooms."

"There has to be some mistake," Davenport insisted. "Could you please check again."

"Sir, I'm sorry but there are no more reservations under that name."

Having overheard most of the conversation, Chase and Douglas came over to join them.

"What's going on?" Chase asked. "Didn't anyone make the reservations?"

"Yes," Donald said. "Douglas made them before we left Mission Creek this morning."

"That's right," Douglas agreed. His expression almost immediately changed to one of uncertainty, though. "Um, I _think_ I did, anyway."

"You think you did?!" Donald and Chase exclaimed at the same time.

"Well, I had some other important things to deal with at the time," Douglas said. "And that includes cleaning yogurt out of the circuit boards in your capsules - for the _third_ time this month, I might add."

"Well, great," Chase groaned. "Now we have nowhere to sleep."

"Hold on a minute," Donald said. "I bet I can work something out. It pays to be one of the wealthiest geniuses around." Turning back to the desk clerk, he asked, "So, how much would it cost to rent two more rooms for the night?"

"Sorry, but we're all full up. This is the busiest time of year for us."

Donald pulled out his wallet and extracted a large bill from it. Waving the currency in front of the clerk, he asked, "Are you sure there isn't any way you can accomodate us?"

The desk clerk eyed the bill greedily and a slight smile came to his face. "Well, now that I think of it, there's a little cabin in the woods not far from here. We don't usually rent it out, though."

Donald added another bill to the first one. "Think you can make an exception this one time?"

"I think something can be arranged," the desk clerk said, snatching up the money. "Although, I have to be honest, it is rather small. Just a single bedroom and a foldaway couch in the living room."

"That's okay," Chase assured him. "Bree can have the bedroom and the rest of us can sleep in the living room."

"Does that cover everything?" Donald asked.

"Well," the clerk said hesitantly. "There is one more thing that I think it's only fair to warn you about. The cabin is haunted."

All three guys stared at him in surprise.

"What?" Douglas asked with a laugh. "You mean with chains and ghosts and organ music and all that stuff?"

"Joke if you want to," the clerk responded. "But there used to be a man who came up here all the time to do his fishing. His name was Amos Chantz and he always stayed in that cabin on each visit. One night, he simply vanished without a trace. Folks say he was murdered for his money, but they never found his body. That was three years ago and, ever since, no one has ever spent a full night in that cabin. Every person who has stayed there has also vanished without a trace, just like Chantz."

"Well," Chase said. "I'm sorry, but I don't happen to believe in ghosts."

"So, you're okay with taking the cabin for the night?" Douglas asked.

Chase nodded. "Sure. Do me a favor, though, and don't mention this to the others. With the way Adam is, we'll end up spending the night playing ghost busters or something."

"Sure," Douglas agreed. "I won't tell them."

"Tell them what?" Leo asked, walking back into the lobby. "You really should get some of that food before it's gone. That stuff is surprisingly good." Noticing the expressions on everyone's faces, he asked, "Okay, what's up? What aren't you going to tell us?"

"Well," Donald began, "I got you a cabin to sleep in for the night-"

"Oh, great!" Leo said happily. "Why wouldn't you tell us that?"

"No," Chase said. "I didn't want to tell the others that the cabin is supposedly haunted."

Leo held up his hand in protest. "Wait a minute. We're going to spend the night in some creepy haunted shack?"

"Oh, come on," Chase sighed. "You don't really believe in ghosts, do you?"

"Let me just say that there are some pretty weird things that go on around us that we can't explain."

"Well, it's the only place we have to sleep in," Chase pointed out. "So you can deal with it or spend the night in the car."

"Okay, fine. But don't blame me if some ghost takes you away during the middle of the night."

* * *

"Oh, cool!" Adam exclaimed, running into the cabin's living room. "This place is awesome!"

"Well, at least it looks pretty clean," Douglas commented, entering the little cabin. He was followed closely by Bree, Leo, and Chase.

"Yeah," Chase said. "I guess they've been maintaining it after all. It looks rather well kept."

"I don't know," Bree said. "I'm going to go check on the bedroom before I give my final assessment."

As the desk clerk had said, the cabin was very small. A tiny kitchenette adjoined the living room and there was a small storage closet to the one side. A couch with fold-out bed was situated in the center of the living room and a rocking chair rested just beside a giant fireplace near the front door. The last wall contained a door leading into the single bedroom and attached bathroom. Although it wasn't large, it had a very tidy and cozy look to it. Several hunting trophies mounted the walls, completing the rustic decor. It was already dark outside, but there were plenty of electric lamps that all contained working bulbs. Surprisingly, there were also clean sheets on the bed and several brand new blankets stashed away in the bedroom closet.

"This should work nicely," Chase decided. "Adam and I can share the fold-out bed and Leo can sleep on that recliner chair."

"Hey, why do you get the bed?" Leo protested.

"Because, trust me, you do _not_ want to be next to Adam when he rolls over during the night."

With one glance at his much larger older brother, Leo gave a quick nod of agreement. "Recliner chair it is then."

"Alright," Douglas said. "I'm taking the jeep back to the lodge with me tonight since you won't be needing it tomorrow. There's supposed to be a storm tonight, but it will clear up before morning. Your training session will start immediately after dawn. Head out into the woods using the maps we provided. Donald and I will be waiting for you at the rendezvous point. Oh, and one more thing." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote device. "You won't be allowed to use your bionics during the training session."

"What?!" Bree exclaimed. "Why not?"

"Because Donnie wants you to learn how to get along without them," Douglas said. "You can't always rely on your bionics to solve all your problems. Since I won't see you in the morning, I'm going to turn them off right now. Okay?"

The teens nodded in reluctant agreement and Douglas pressed the button to deactivate their bionics temporarily. It immediately felt weird to them to not have their chips active. Chase hated the feeling of not having his super senses or any of his scanners and Bree always hated feeling so slow - well, slow compared to a bionic person.

"Okay," Douglas said, heading out the door. "I'll see you guys tomorrow evening." He closed the door behind him and, a moment later, they heard the jeep pulling away.

"I get first dibs on the bathroom," Bree called over her shoulder as she hurried through the bedroom door.

Leo was right behind her. "I get it second!" he shouted.

As soon as the other two were gone, Chase suggested, "Okay, Adam, why don't you bring in the rest of the luggage from the porch while I unfold the sofa bed."

"Oh, no fair," Adam said. "I already brought in my backpack. The rest of that luggage belongs to you guys."

Chase sighed in frustration, but he knew it was easier to give in to Adam on these kind of things. "Fine," he said. "Let's _both_ go get the suitcases." They walked over to the front door and Chase swung it open to see a man standing in the doorway. The boys both jumped in surprise. "Oh," Chase said, trying to slow his hearbeat back down again. "Sorry, I didn't realize anyone was there."

The stranger - a tall, skinny man with a goatee and an armload of firewood - stepped into the cabin and eyed the boys strangely. "I didn't realize anyone was here, either," he said in a peculiarly eerie voice.

"If you didn't know anyone was here, why did you bring firewood?" Chase asked curiously.

The man walked over to the fireplace and began loading it with the wood supply. "I always bring the firewood at nine o'clock," he told them.

Adam frowned in confusion. "I thought no one lived here for three years."

A thin smile spread across the man's face as he stood back up. "That's right," he said. "No one's lived here for three years. Three long years." He walked over to the door and stepped out onto the porch. "Sleep well," he called to them before swinging the door shut. The boys could hear him walking off into the woods while uttering a creepy laugh the whole way.

"Wow, did you hear that?" Adam asked nervously.

"Yeah." Chase sat down on the fireplace's hearth while thinking over what the man had said. "If that guy's been bringing firewood every day for the last three years, there should be a huge supply of the wood around here somewhere."

"I didn't see any wood."

"That's just it," Chase told him. "Somebody's been burning it. I bet that guy's up to something and he's scaring everyone away from here so they won't find out. It's probably something very illegal."

Adam started to sit down in the rocking chair beside Chase when his eyes fell on something over Chase's shoulder and he immediately froze in place. "Uh, Chase?"

"Yeah?" Chase looked up to see a very startled expression on Adam's face. He quickly peeked over his shoulder and saw with a shock that there was now a fire burning in the freshly stocked fireplace. His scientific mind tried to devise some easy explanation to tell his brother, but the best thing he could come up with to say was: "Well, I guess we won't have to build a fire now."

* * *

"Hey, are you going to help or what?" Chase asked. With a final tug, he managed to pull the fold-away bed the rest of the way out of the sofa. He was mildly surprised to find that it still had a mattress on it and that it was in very good condition. Using the spare blankets and pillows they'd found in the bedroom, he began making the bed.

Adam meanwhile was still prowling the cabin, checking every nook and cranny for potential ghost hiding places. Chase was quickly beginning to regret telling Adam about the cabin being supposedly haunted. His older brother had immediately turned the thing into some kind of ghost-hunting game.

"Hey, Chase," Adam called, tugging on the doorknob of the storage closet. "This door's locked."

"Yes," Chase said teasingly. "That's probably where the ghost stores all the people he's kidnapped over the years."

"Hey, don't tease about things like that," Adam warned him. "It could happen."

Chase rolled his eyes. "The lodge probably uses that as some kind of storage room and they keep it locked so people won't steal their stuff. Now, come on, let's get to bed. We have to wake up before dawn tomorrow, so we'll need plenty of rest tonight."

Adam leapt over the back of the sofa and landed with a bounce in the middle of the bed. He immediately stretched out to fall asleep.

"Hey!" Chase exclaimed. "Move over!"

"Only if you can make me," Adam said with a teasing grin.

Chase tried to push his older brother as hard as he could, but he wasn't able to make the larger teen budge even an inch. "Fine," he grumbled. Grabbing his pillow, he climbed into the tiny space left to him on the edge of the bed and tried to fall asleep anyway. Reaching over his head, he turned off the lamp that was located on the little table behind the couch. Snuggling down into his blanket, he'd just shut his eyes when the room was once again flooded in lamplight. "Adam," he groaned. "Stop it already. Turn off the lamp."

"I didn't turn it on," Adam protested.

"Huh?" Chase sat up and saw that the lamp was definitely turned on. "Oh, I suppose it turned itself back on then, right?"

Adam shrugged. "Well, if you didn't do it, then I guess it turned itself back on."

Realizing that his brother was telling the truth, Chase looked at the lamp in confusion. "Hmm, I guess I didn't turn it all the way off." Reaching over, he clicked off the light and once again settled down to fall asleep. Almost immediately, the lamp turned back on.

"Someone really doesn't want that lamp off," Adam said. "Ooh, maybe the ghost is afraid of the dark."

"There is no ghost," Chase insisted. "The wiring is just faulty." He clicked off the lamp for a third time and it once again came back on by itself. "You know what?" he said in frustration. "Let's just leave it on. I can sleep with the light on for just this one night."

Adam started to respond when he was interrupted by a sudden sound. The two brothers looked over and saw the front door slowly creaking open. As soon as it was fully open, it began slowly closing again until it was completely shut. A moment later, the rocking chair by the fireplace began rocking back and forth as if someone was sitting in it. Adam and Chase looked at each other with equally puzzled and frightened expressions. After a minute, the chair suddenly stopped rocking and the front door once again opened then shut.

After the initial shock had worn off, Adam turned to his younger brother. "Okay, Mr. Science, explain that one."

"Well," Chase said slowly, trying to formulate a good theory. "The wind blew the door open and made the chair rock."

"So what made the rocker stop rocking?"

"I don't know! Maybe something with the cross-current or wind suction or something. Just turn out the light, okay?"

"We can't," Adam reminded him. "The ghost is afraid of the dark."

Chase gave him an exasperated look and said, "Fine! Then let's just go to sleep."

* * *

In the bedroom, Bree was just finishing brushing out her hair when Leo finally emerged from the bathroom. "Wow," she said. "How long does it take to brush your teeth?"

Leo frowned at her tiredly. "Hey, don't judge me. It's been ten years since I've had a cavity and I intend to keep up that streak."

Bree laughed. "Okay, whatever. But you have some toothpaste on your cheek."

Leo walked over to the dresser and used the mirror on top of it to see that she was right. He quickly wiped off his face with a tissue. He was about to turn away from the mirror when he saw the surface turn all shimmery. The next instant, an image appeared before his eyes in the mirror. It was the image of a man - young, stern, and with dark hair and a mustache - with his arms folded across his chest and a severe expression on his face. Only from the waist up was visible and he didn't move or change expression. Even his eyes didn't move from their tight fix on Leo's face. The image appeared slightly see-through and Leo could still easily see his own reflection in the mirror as well. For what must have been an eternity, Leo stood transfixed; he stared at the man who simply stared back at him. Then his brain clicked back on and Leo did the first thing that came into his head.

"Aaaah!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He turned away from the mirror and ran towards the door, reaching it just as his brothers came crashing through. They all ended up in a tangle in the doorway.

"Leo!" Adam exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"Yeah," Bree added. "You completely freaked out."

"You didn't see it?" Leo asked her.

"No. What?"

"There was a face in the mirror."

Bree raised an eyebrow skeptically. "There was a _what_?"

"I'm not joking," Leo insisted, pulling himself back to his feet. "There was a guy in the mirror staring at me."

Chase and Bree went over to the mirror but only saw their own reflections. "You know," Chase said. "The lighting isn't very good in here. You probably saw yourself in the mirror and thought it was someone else."

"Last I checked, I don't have a mustache," Leo said. "I think that guy was right."

"What guy?" Bree asked.

"The guy who told Chase this place is haunted."

Bree looked at him in surprise. "This place is haunted?!"

"It's _not_ haunted!" Chase said stubbornly. "There's a logical explanation for everything that's been happening."

"Yeah, like the lights in the other room?" Adam challenged him.

"What lights?" Bree and Leo asked at the same moment.

"They kept turning on and off," Adam said.

"This place is not haunted," Chase insisted. "I think someone is playing a very elaborate trick on us. And my bet is on that guy with the firewood." At Leo and Bree's puzzled expressions, he explained, "Someone showed up earlier with an armload of firewood. He was tall, skinny, and had a beard."

"Well, that proves he's evil," Leo said. "In every scary movie, the bad guy has a beard and a creepy laugh."

"Ooh, this guy had a creepy laugh," Adam said.

Bree turned to Chase. "Hey, whether you believe in ghosts or not, something bad is happening here and I think we should get out."

Chase nodded. "I think you're right. But Douglas drove the jeep back with him, so we'll have to walk all the way back to the lodge."

"That's fine with me," Leo said. "Just as long as I can put some distance between myself and this freak show."

The group hurried back into the living room. Chase grabbed one of the maps off the coffee table and unfolded it to figure out what direction they should head to reach the lodge.

"Hurry up," Leo said nervously.

"Hey, if we don't map out our route before leaving, we'll just end up lost in the woods," Chase told him.

Bree rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, hurry up already."

"Uh, guys," Adam tried to interject.

"I _am_ hurrying," Chase told Bree. "Give me a minute."

"Uh, guys," Adam tried again.

"In a minute, we could all be dead," Leo said. "Didn't you ever see that horror movie where-"

"Uh, GUYS!" Adam said, much louder this time.

Everyone turned to look at him. "What?" they all asked at once.

Adam pointed at the sleeper sofa. "Didn't we leave the couch open when we went into the bedroom? 'Cause it's closed now."

They all looked down and saw that he was right. The sofa-bed had been folded up and the couch cushions put back in place. The blankets were folded neatly and placed in a pile with the two pillows. They also saw that their suitcases were sitting in a tidy group by the door - and all the bags were packed now.

"Okay, is that enough of a sign for you?" Bree asked Chase.

"Well," Chase said slowly, "I think it's clear that someone really wants us to leave."

"Yeah, and that someone is me!" Leo told him. "Let's get out of here!"

Without another word, the four siblings ran for the front door. They swung it open to be greeted by a strong, steady wind blowing their direction. The trees were crashing around wildly in the air current. As soon as they stepped out onto the porch, a bolt of lightning lit up the sky and a deafening boom shook the ground. The storm Douglas had predicted was certainly no joke. The teens quickly retreated back into the "safety" of the cabin and slammed the door shut.

"Okay," Chase said, trying to remain as calm as possible. "We'll just have to wait for the storm to blow over before we head back to the lodge."

Everyone froze as they heard a sudden noise that sounded like someone knocking on a door. The sound was coming from the closed bedroom door. Oddly, they were all certain they'd left the bedroom door open. A moment later, the knocking sound was repeated.

"Don't be rude, guys," Adam told the others. He called towards the bedroom, "Come in!"

The door slowly swung inward until it was wide open. Chase cautiously stepped forward and leaned his head in enough to peek around. He quickly retreated back to where his siblings were standing.

"No need to worry," he announced. The others could easily hear the nervousness in his voice. "There's no one in there."

"No one knocked?" Bree pointed out. "That's definitely something to worry about."

"Good," Leo said. "Because I, for one, am _very_ worried."

"Excuse me," Adam spoke up. "I have an announcement to make." Turning to look at the cabin in general, he said, "Mr. Ghost, whoever you are, we promise to leave as soon as the storm blows over." A loud clap of thunder seemed to punctuate his words. Glancing up at the roof, Adam replied, "Don't mention it."

* * *

"Anyone actually asleep?" Chase asked. He glanced at his three siblings, all crowded into the sofa-bed around him, and saw them all shaking their heads.

"Are you nuts?" Leo asked. "Who can sleep in this house of horrors?"

Chase sat up and tossed his blanket away. "Look, it's been two hours since anything has happened. It's pretty obvious that we're just tired from the car ride and we're letting that interfere with our good judgement. Why don't we go to bed and forget this whole thing?"

"Hey," Bree said. "There is no way I'm going into that bedroom alone."

"And you couldn't pry me out of this bed with a crowbar," Leo added.

"Besides," Adam spoke up. "It's more fun this way. Like a big sleepover. Well, except that this sleepover is haunted by a ghost with a moustache. Hey, I guess that means this tops your big sleepover with the killer computer, huh, Bree?"

Bree shot her brother a death glare before cuddling her pillow closer. "Do you think the storm has died down enough, yet?"

Almost as if in answer to her question, a gust of wind slammed into the cabin, shaking the tiny building all over.

"Come on, guys," Chase said. "Nothing bad is going to happen. We can all relax and everything will be fine by morning."

The others were about to respond when the end of the sofa bed suddenly began folding up on them. Adam and Leo, who were on the edges, immediately jumped off the bed. Chase and Bree scrambled onto the back of the couch just moments before the entire bed finished collapsing itself back into the sofa. All four teenagers quickly ran a safe distance from the couch and stared at it in disbelief.

"Oh, cool, a man-eating couch!" Adam exclaimed. "I want one!"

The other three gave him a sharp look and Adam quickly decided to back off.

"Okay," Bree said, keeping her voice as steady as possible. "That does it. I'm getting out of here. Anyone else who wants to live can join me."

"I'm with her," Leo said. "Let's get our bags and go."

"Okay," Chase finally relented. "Come on, Adam, you can help us carry these suitcases. Adam?"

Everyone looked around and realized with a shock that their oldest brother was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, where'd he go?" Bree asked worriedly. "He couldn't have gone outside or we would have heard the door."

An all-too-familiar knocking sound suddenly rang out and they looked over to see the bedroom door swinging open once again. How did that keep getting shut?

Chase cleared his throat nervously and said, "I guess I should check the bedroom for Adam."

"Not without us," Leo said, grabbing tightly to Chase's arm.

They walked cautiously into the tiny bedroom and called out for Adam. After receiving no response, they checked the closet and the bathroom. Chase even leaned down to peek under the bed. No sign of Adam anywhere.

"This is so weird. Where could he be?" Leo wondered aloud. He turned around to ask Bree something and almost choked when he realized that she was also now gone. With a frightened squeal, he ran over to Chase and grabbed him. "Bree's gone too!" he squeaked. "If you disappear, I'm really never going to speak to you again!"

Chase pried Leo off of him and asked, "Where was the last place you saw Bree?"

"When we were all in the living room."

"That's also where I last saw her. Come on, let's go check in that room."

The two boys crept quietly into the living room in search of their older siblings. They kept as close to each other as possible in fear of losing yet another person. There was no sign of them anywhere. Chase finally decided to check the storage closet in the living room.

"It's the only place they could be," he said. Stepping away from Leo, he placed both hands firmly on the doorknob and heaved as hard as he could. The door didn't even budge. Shaking his head in defeat, he said, "No luck. This thing is definitely locked. I think we should run back to the lodge and get help. What do you think?" He turned around to get his brother's opinion only to find himself all alone in the living room. "Leo?" he called. "Leo? Please tell me I'm not the only one here."

Chase stepped into the center of the living room and looked around in panic and confusion. Where had his siblings all gone? "Adam? Bree? Leo? Where are you guys?"

A noise came to Chase's ears and he looked over his shoulder to see the rocking chair was once again slowly rocking back and forth. Chase felt a shiver run up his spine involuntarily. He gave up on trying to use logic to explain everything. Walking hesitantly towards the rocking chair, he asked, "Where are my siblings? Where did you take them?"

The chair suddenly stopped rocking. Chase got the distinct feeling he was being watched. Even though he really didn't want to, he slowly turned around. The mirror hanging on the closet door now contained the image of a stern man with a moustache, exactly like Leo had described. The man was staring harshly at Chase with an unwavering expression. Despite his overwhelming fear, Chase forced himself to approach the mirror.

"Hey, whoever you are, I promise to leave here if you give me back my siblings. Okay? I promise."

Another sound came to Chase's ears. Only this was a sound that really puzzled him. It was laughing. More than that, it was the distinct sound of his siblings' laughter. The closet door suddenly burst open and Leo, Adam, and Bree came tumbling out. They were laughing histerically and clearly were unharmed.

"And you said you didn't believe in ghosts!" Leo said, gasping for air. "Oh, man, that was so good! I can't believe I didn't get any of that on video."

"What are you talking about?" Chase asked, his brain trying to catch up. "What's going on here?"

"You just fell for the best Halloween prank in the world," Leo said proudly.

"You should have seen how scared you were!" Adam laughed. "I'm going to enjoy telling this story to the students tomorrow."

"Wait," Chase said to Leo. "You mean _you_ were responsible for all of the stuff that happened tonight?!"

Leo nodded, a huge grin spreading over his face. "When I found out we'd be on this training exercise on the scariest night of the year - _and_ that there would be a huge storm as well - I knew I had to try pranking you. Douglas helped out with designing most of the special effects. He also set everything up since he got here several hours before we did. Big D was able to bribe the desk clerk to go along with the gag. I told Adam and Bree so they could help by making their timely disappearances. And Adam slowed us down enough during the trip here that Douglas had enough time to get the cabin ready."

Chase stared at Leo in disbelief for a moment. "Wow," he said at last. "I'm actually rather impressed with how much planning you put into this whole thing."

"You mean you're not mad?" Leo asked in surprise.

"Oh, I didn't say that," Chase said, suddenly stalking towards his younger brother. "In fact, I think I'll give this cabin a new murder story."

Leo quickly started backing toward the door. "Um, I think I'll go check in on Douglas and Big D. See you guys later."

He took off through the front door with Chase right behind. Adam and Bree took one look at each other and collapsed in another fit of laughter. This training exercise turned out to be rather entertaining after all.

* * *

 **A/N: Yeah, I had to change the ending a bit. The original wouldn't have worked very well.**

 **Anyway, if you're interested in watching the episode this was based off of, it is Season 4 episode 2 and is titled** _ **"The Ghost of A. Chantz"**_ **. I highly recommend trying it because it is absolutely hilarious. You can find it on Netlfix streaming and it's probably somewhere on Youtube as well.**

 **Here's a list of which characters are which (in case it wasn't obvious):**

 **Rob = Chase**  
 **Buddy = Adam**  
 **Sally = Bree**  
 **Laura = Leo (what? it worked!)**  
 **Mel = Douglas**  
 **Alan = Donald**

 **I tried so hard to figure out a way to work Spin and Bob into the story as Jerry and Millie, but it just didn't work out. Oh well. :( Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**


End file.
